


Surely to the Sea

by virginiasoil



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beach, F/M, Hawaii
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-04-15 11:55:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4605813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virginiasoil/pseuds/virginiasoil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six years after Bellamy last saw Clarke Griffin she returns to her childhood beach house unexpectedly. Over the next couple months they learn how much has changed and how much has stayed the same since they last knew each other. Or, in other words, the Maui beach house AU that nobody asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wise Men Say

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back, bitches. 
> 
> I've had this idea in my head for a while. I'm not totally sure where it is going but I'm having fun writing it. As a warning, I have only ever been to Maui once and that was when I was, like, nine so I'm not exactly an expert. In the past ten years the only beaches I have been to are along the east coast. I'm pretty much exactly the kind of person Bellamy hates in this story when it comes to my knowledge of all things Hawaii. I apologize to any lucky islanders who read this and wince.

***

Like a river flows surely to the sea  
Darling so it goes  
Some things are meant to be  
Take my hand, take my whole life too  
For I can't help falling in love with you

***

Bellamy broke the surface of the ocean with a gasp trying to catch his breath quickly while clinging to his board. 

“Holy shit, dude!” Wick called from where he was paddling a few feet away. “That was an incredible wipe out!”

Bellamy rolled his eyes and pushed himself back up onto his board. “Yes, because a wipe out is exactly what I was going for.” 

His friend slapped him on the back having finally made his way over. “Hey, sometimes the wipe outs are more fun than riding it in. That applies to life too, my friend.” 

Rather than reply he just gave the blond and incredulous look. It only earned him more laughter. 

Wick had come to the Maui three years ago for what was supposed to be two-week surfing trip. Instead he ended up renting a small shack by the beach and calling it home. He was everything Bellamy usually hated in the surfers that visited the island. All blond hair bleached by the sun matched by a deep tan and teeth that were too white. By all accounts, it was a friendship that never should have worked. Bellamy was aggressively local while Wick was annoyingly Californian. Bellamy was serious and quiet where Wick was immature and loud, but somehow it worked. 

“It’s nearly nine anyways, man,” Wick said, gazing at the waterproof watch on his wrist. I need to head in. My shift starts at nine thirty and Raven will kill me if I’m late again.” 

“Well you know, a friend once told me that the wipe outs are sometimes better than riding it in.”

Wick let out a bark of laughter and punched Bellamy’s shoulder causing him to falter slightly on his board. “True, true. But I would rather not wipe out when it comes to Raven.”

Having reached an agreement the two men paddled into shore where tourists where already starting to set up their umbrellas and beach towels for the day. The off-season may have started but that didn’t mean tourists disappeared from the island. 

After dropping off their boards at Bellamy’s house just over the dunes, the duo parted way. Wick to his job at a local car repair shop and Bellamy to The Griffin’s Roost.

On the other, wealthier side of the beach the cheesily named beach house loomed over its fairly impressive neighbors. The pale green paint and white trim was pristine, the shutters free of wind damage, and metal door handles and touristy beach décor void of any rust from the salty ocean air. Tossing the key up and down in his hand, Bellamy made his way up the grand front steps of the house repressing all the memories that had been touched by the wood. This wasn’t the same house it had been before, after all. A new paint job and some interior decorators had made sure of that years ago. 

The house was sterile now with generic furniture people from the mainland thought was the typical Hawaiian taste. They seemed to think you could throw a palm leaf, coconut, or hibiscus flower on anything and to make it ‘island style.’ Once, however, it had been much more of a home. 

Years ago Abigail, Jake, and little Clarke Griffin had spent Memorial Day to Labor Day in the house as well as the occasional Christmas trip. Though their taste in furniture had screamed money back then as much as he generic décor did now, it somehow had still felt homier. Not that Bellamy had ever spent much time in the house in those days. Even as a kid Bellamy resented the fact that his mother was a maid for the Griffins. He knew what people like the Griffins thought of women like Aurora, living in a run down beach house in the more poverty stricken area of town with two kids from different fathers, neither present, and barely enough money to put food on the table. They pitied her and they pitied her kids. That’s why Jake always offered to take Bellamy fishing (something Bellamy always declined, he didn’t need a father thank you very much) and why they let their daughter play with Octavia; why they let Octavia practically live with them during the summer. 

Octavia loved it. She and Clarke got along well enough and compared to their home the Griffin’s was basically a castle. There was always more than enough to eat, no chipping paint, and no listening to Aurora yell at Bellamy for getting into fights. Aurora didn’t mind it either, she always told Bellamy it gave Octavia something to do before adding that he should be thankful for the Griffins. After all, they employed his mother and kept him from having to babysit his little sister. Despite her words, his resentment remained for the family that seemed to have everything his didn’t. 

Even now, years after the last time he had seen the Griffins, bitterness persisted as he made his rounds through the empty halls. Here was this enormous house that they never even visited. Bellamy couldn’t even fathom how that was possible. How someone could spend so much money on something and then just abandon it like it was nothing.

After making sure the water was running fine and wasn’t at all salty, he moved on to checking each room for any signs of intruders. The Griffin’s Roost, as the enormous beach house was nicknamed, was well known by locals. Nearly everyone knew when a new family was renting the place and similarly knew when each family left. To the less law-abiding teens in town it was a badge of rebellion to spend a night in the house, much to Bellamy’s annoyance. In fact, it had become such an issue four years ago that Marcus Kane, a local who was still good friends with the Griffins, originally hired him to check the house in the morning for trespassers. That had turned into checking the pipes and making sure the pool was working fine, which had turned into small repairs and minor construction projects. Four years later his daily rounds at the Griffin’s Roost were giving him a nice amount of pocket money to boost the meager amount he made working at Miller’s bar and the book store. 

The first sign Bellamy noticed that indicated something was awry was the light on in the front hall. He was sure all lights had been off when he left the previous morning. Next he noticed the sandals by the front door and the remains of a burger from Teddy’s on the kitchen counter. Someone was definitely in the house and they weren’t even trying to hide it. With a growl of frustration Bellamy ran his hand through his hair irritably. There were few things that annoyed him more than shithead teenagers, even if he used to be one himself. 

As soon as Bellamy rounded the top of the stairs he knew where the intruder was hidden. The door at the very end of the hall was closed while every other door remained open, as he had left them the morning before. He padded down the hall as quietly as he could. In his experience, nothing worked better on trespassing teenagers than the element of surprise. Being scared awake in the nude often deterred them from returning. 

Bellamy was pretty sure this was the room that had been Clarke’s years ago. He hadn’t started working for the Griffins until after the place had been remodeled and it wasn’t like he frequented the upstairs back when the family stayed there. If he entered the house at all it was always just the entryway to pick up Octavia and his mother (or, only during that last summer, Clarke) or the dining room for a very awkward dinner. Even so, he had pretty much figured out whose room was whose in the past couple years. The master had obviously been Jake and Abby’s and he was fairly certain this one had been Clarke’s. It wasn’t the largest of the spare rooms, but it had the best view of the ocean and a small balcony. Both seemed like things she would like.

Pushing the door open quietly he examined the state of the room first. The was one time a couple years back when two drunk teens had totally trashed the place and he lived in dread of it happening again. The room, however, was practically untouched. Even the blinds and curtains were still open. The bed was a disheveled mess with sheets twisted every which way and pillows strewn across the mattress and onto the floor. In the center of the veritable rat’s nest was a mess of blonde tangles obscuring the face they belonged too. 

Rolling his eyes Bellamy kicked the pale foot dangling off the bed. “Wake up sleeping beauty, before I call the cops.” 

The girl didn’t move. 

Heaving a frustrated sigh he moved closer and poked the mystery sleeper on her back. “Wake up. You have five minutes then I’m calling the cops.” 

“What?” She still didn’t move but her rough, sleepy voice proved she was awake. It sounded oddly familiar to Bellamy, like a memory he couldn’t quite place. 

“I said get up. Now. You’re trespassing.”

“No I’m not, go away.” 

Bellamy scoffed. “Oh really, so you own this house then? You didn’t break in last night and decide to crash?” 

Suddenly the blonde sat up brushing her hair out of her blue eyes before looking up at him wearily. “Shut up, Bellamy. I was on a plane for basically all of yesterday so just let me sleep.” 

Bellamy was too stunned to reply. “Clarke?”

A much older version of his little sister’s childhood friend looked up at him disdainfully. “The one and only. Now leave.” She turned and settled back into the comforter while Bellamy looked on in shock. Kane hadn’t told him Clarke would be coming. A new renter was suppose to arrive the next day but he was pretty sure Kane would have mentioned if it were Clarke Griffin. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked, slowly coming out of shock. His surprise was quickly turning into irritation. 

Clarke groaned before flipping dramatically onto her back to glare up at him. She was wearing a small camisole that left little to the imagination. It took true willpower to keep his eyes on her face. The struggle reminded him of when she was fifteen and suddenly had boobs. As a twenty year old that summer he knew his boundaries but it was hard to ignore all the same. “I’m trying to sleep,” she replied moodily, dragging his mind off her rack and back to the current situation. 

“Okay, smartass. You know what I mean. Kane didn’t say anything about you coming and there are renters arriving tomorrow afternoon.” 

Huffing with annoyance Clarke sat up. Bellamy didn’t miss the slouch in her shoulders or the bags under eyes that seemed to be from more than just sleep deprivation. “Shit. Tomorrow, really?” He nodded in affirmation drawing another curse from her rosy lips. He couldn’t help but be a little distracted by the familiar mole just above her mouth. “I may not have thought everything through.”

“No shit,” he scoffed. “Next time call ahead, princess.” 

She wrinkled her nose at the childhood nickname that had once caused her to punch him when she was nine. “Well this wasn’t exactly a super well planned trip. It was more of a slightly nostalgic ‘I want to get away from everyone and everything and be ten again’ kind of trip.” 

“Must be nice to take those kinds of trips.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “I see you haven’t changed at all in the past six years.”

In his opinion he had actually changed a lot, but that wasn’t something he felt like sharing at the moment. Instead he gave a huff of annoyance. “Look you can stay here for tonight but you have to be gone tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yes, sir,” she drawled while saluting him mockingly. Bellamy shot her one more exasperated look before turning to leave. “Bellamy?” Clarke called after him, her voice noticeably softer and somehow more delicate. 

“What, princess?”

“Would you mind not telling anyone I’m here?”

Rather than answering he just raised an eyebrow in question.

“I just… I don’t want to deal with anyone.” 

Despite wanting to be frustrated with her, Bellamy understood the sentiment. He nodded and offered her a small smile. “Alright. But you need to be gone by noon tomorrow. Here,” he scribbled his number on a painfully kitschy palm tree patterned pad of paper on the bedside table. “In case you need anything.” 

“Thanks.”

“Just make sure you are gone by tomorrow.” 

She just fell back into bed in response and Bellamy made his way downstairs. 

Despite his best efforts his mind was stuck on Clarke throughout the day. He checked his phone regularly, earning questioning looks from both Miller at work and Octavia at home, but Clarke never contacted him. Not that he really expected her to. They hadn’t spoken in six years; there really wasn’t any reason for her to start talking to him now. 

That night he caught himself staring at an old, faded picture that had been shoved into his well-loved copy of The Odyssey. He still remembered the night it was taken. It was the penultimate night of Clarke’s final summer on the island and even though nobody knew it would be her last, there was a palpable feeling of finality to it. It was Jasper who had the idea of a bonfire and Monty who convinced Miller and Bellamy to bring beer. Clarke had brought her old polaroid camera because she was insistent on making a scrapbook of that summer. She had been saving everything from movie tickets to a napkin from the Lahaina Ice Cream Parlour. Octavia must have gotten ahold of the camera at some point in the night and taken the picture. 

He and Clarke were facing away from the camera, out towards the ocean with the fire roaring beside them. Her head was on his shoulder and his arm was around her waist. O had given it to him a half a year later when they found out the Griffins weren’t returning. Shoving the picture back into the torn and earmarked pages, Bellamy flopped back onto his bed willing sleep to come. Instead he lay awake and stared at the dark ceiling for the better part of the night as waves crashed against the shore below. 

The next morning, Bellamy pulled up the to the Griffin’s in his pick up, salt from his morning in the ocean still in his hair and stinging his skin. For a moment he just sat in the truck silently praying that Clarke would be gone already. That way this whole ordeal could just be a weird experience he would soon forget. It didn’t take long for him to discover that his wish had not been granted, though he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to be too terribly upset about it. 

Clarke was perched on the railing of the back deck that looked out over the water. Her hair was loose, blowing in the gentle breeze coming off the ocean. She was still wearing her sleep shorts, which were really just a pair of hideously ugly taco patterned boxers and an old UVa shirt that kept slipping off her shoulder. As he got closer it become clear that she was sketching. 

“Ah my eviction notice is here,” she said dryly without looking up as he came to stand next to her, leaning his elbows on the rail and gazing out at the Pacific. “A little early I believe. My landlord told me I have,” she checked the phone sitting next to her, “an hour and fifty-eight minutes left.” 

Bellamy snorted and shook his head. One thing he had always loved about Clarke, especially as she got older, was her ability to match him snark for snark. “I have to work later. This is your two hour warning.” He leaned over to look at what she was sketching. To his surprise it wasn’t the view. “Who’s that?” 

Clarke’s face suddenly turned a startling shade of red as she realized he was looking at her sketch. “Nobody, just a doodle.” 

Bellamy raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. The jawline looked suspiciously familiar but she clearly didn’t want to discuss it further. A comfortable silence fell over them as they both watched the waves dipping in and out of the sea. There was a boat farther out that made Bellamy think of Jake and his relentless offers to explore the waters around Maui further. 

“I’m sorry about your dad,” he said quietly without turning his gaze. To be honest he was a little embarrassed he hadn’t said anything about Jake’s death sooner. From the rumors that had circulated the town, her father’s death hadn’t been pretty. The car crash that both Clarke and Abby managed to survive had all but torn apart Jake. 

“I’m sorry about your mom.” Bellamy swallowed hard. He tried not to think too much about his mom. It wasn’t that he didn’t miss her or didn’t love her, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. It just hurt still, to think of her without her hair, getting weaker and weaker as each day passed. Practically wasting away before his eyes and leaving him with a seventeen year old sister to take care of all on his own. 

A rumble from Clarke’s stomach broke the somber mood. “Hungry, princess?” He smirked up at her relishing in the slight blush that broke out across her cheeks. It was a good look on her he decided. 

“Well seeing as I was given a time limit on my childhood home I didn’t exactly want to leave first thing in the morning.”

“Plus you would have to get dressed,” Bellamy added while pushing off the railing. 

“You know me so well,” Clarke replied in a tone that was too sweet to not be sarcastic. 

“You are hopeless. Come on, I’ll treat you to the island’s finest breakfast.”

He took her to a McDonald’s drive through. 

“You know,” she said, her mouth full of egg mcmuffin, “I know you took me here to be an asshole but this is actually great. Plus I didn’t even have to get dressed.”

Bellamy snorted. It wasn’t that terrible for him either. Clarke had stretched her long, pale legs out to rest her feet on the dashboard of his truck and was humming some tune that was both familiar and strange all at once. Besides, she insisted on paying for their breakfast. 

“Did you go swimming earlier?”

“Surfing. Why?”

Clarke reached up and ruffled his hair nearly causing him to choke on his sausage biscuit. “Your hair is extra fluffy.” 

“Okay weirdo.” 

Bellamy couldn’t help but realize how easy it was to fall back into their old rhythms. If he didn’t know better, he might be convinced it was still that last summer they spent together. She seventeen and desperate to taste rebellion, he twenty-two and wanting nothing more than to escape the island. Octavia, then fifteen, had gotten her first boyfriend that summer and spent more time away from Clarke than with her for the first time since the pair met as little girls. Clarke for her part had decided to latch onto Bellamy as her surrogate best friend. He hadn’t complained much, at least not after the first couple of weeks. 

“So where are you off to after noon?”

“Jesus Christ, Bell, I get that I have to be gone.” 

“Hey, I’m not trying to be an ass,” he replied, hands up in surrender. “I’m genuinely curious about where you are going.”

Clarke sighed and slumped against her seat. “I have no idea. I’ll probably go back to the mainland. I guess California. That’s where I told my mom I would be so any charges to my credit card in Hawaii would make her ask questions I don’t feel like answering. I paid for the plane ticket from LA to here in cash just to avoid her.” 

“I thought O saw on Facebook you were going to Johns Hopkins for medical school now.”

Clarke paused for a long moment, picking at the taco boxers. “Yeah,” she finally replied. “I am.”

“Now I’m not an expert when it comes to medical school, or college really, but I’m fairly sure that school is in session in mid September.” 

“Correct.”

“So?”

Clarke sighed and looked out her window towards the shopping center across the street. “I’m taking a year off.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes, you can do that,” she replied shortly. “Now if you are done quizzing me about my personal life can you please just take me home.” 

Bellamy’s eyes widened a little at the sudden defensiveness of her tone. He had clearly hit a nerve. Without answering he pulled out of the McDonald’s parking lot and headed back towards the beach. 

As soon as he pulled into the gravel drive of the Roost, Clarke swung her door open and hopped out wincing slightly at the gravel digging into her bare feet. 

“See you, Bell.”

“Clarke wait,” he called after her, leaning over the bench seat to roll down the passenger’s window.

“For fuck’s sake I get it. Noon.”

“Would you just wait half a second, princess? If you want somewhere to stay or if you need a place to stay, I have a pullout couch so…” he trailed off and ran a hand nervously through his tangled, salt stiff curls. Clarke watched him for a minute, her stoic face masking any emotions. He recognized that looked though, she was considering his offer. “You don’t need to answer me now. You have my number and I’m still in the same house so you know where to find me. If you just need one night or even if you need a place for a couple months just let me know. I know O would be thrilled to see you again.”

He wasn’t about to tell her how much the idea of getting to know this older, less familiar Clarke Griffin appealed to him. 

Slowly Clarke nodded. “Yeah, I’ll think about it. Thanks, Bell.”

“No problem, princess.” 

He watched her in his rearview mirror as he pulled out of the drive. She looked small suddenly, frail and lost and not at all the whirlwind of a girl he remembered. Despite wishing the opposite an hour earlier, Bellamy couldn’t help but hope she would take him up on his offer. 

It wasn’t ten minutes before his phone rang. 

“Bellamy?”

“Yeah.”

“If you wouldn’t mind, it would be nice to stay here for a while.”

“Not a problem. I’ll swing back by and pick you up then I have to go to work. O should be home around four.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“No really, thank you, Bellamy.”

He smiled, “I’ll be there in a minute.”


	2. Only Fools Rush In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its a miracle! I'm back from the dead! 
> 
> This year has kicked my ass so I've been busy. I'm back though and with summer four weeks away I should have plenty of time on my hands for updates. Plus the show has been giving me hope for these two and that is always motivating. 
> 
> Please don't hate me for the long wait.

***  
Six years ago  
***

“I don’t seem to remember inviting you.” 

“Too bad,” Clarke replied as she slammed the truck door closed behind her. “I’m not going home. My mom offered for me to help her write invitations for the country club’s luau and there is no way in hell I’m going to do that.” 

Bellamy rolled his eyes and pulled out the drive. “What about Octavia?” 

“Atom is on his way over and I’m sick of third-wheeling.” 

His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. It had been a month and he still wasn’t comfortable with his baby sister dating. As his house faded in the distance Clarke turned the radio up and rolled down her window. He was about to sarcastically tell her to make herself at home when the words caught in his throat. Yes, she was his baby sister’s best friend and five years younger than him, but with her salty blonde hair whipping in the evening air she was quite a sight. “Have you ever even been to a party?” He asked pulling himself out of the rabbit hole his thoughts were taking him down. 

Clarke scoffed and changed the radio station. “Of course I have.” 

“I mean a real party, not some shitty birthday party or debutante ball.” 

She huffed and fell back against the seat with annoyance. “It doesn’t matter.” 

He eyed her warily. Bellamy had never been particularly hung up on the law but he still felt responsible for Clarke. Openly inviting her to drink underage wasn’t the most responsible thing in the world. Then again, he hadn’t invited her. She had overheard him talking to Miller about the party the day before and when he announced he was leaving in front of Octavia and Clarke in their small kitchen, the blonde had followed him. 

“It kind of does. I’m pretty sure you have never broken a rule in your life and I’m not about to get busted for taking some rich seventeen-year-old debutante to a party with older guys and alcohol. My mom could lose her job if your mom finds out.” 

“She won’t. And I’m not a debutante so you can stop saying that.”

“Whatever, princess. You get my point. I’m dropping you off at home.” 

Clarke sighed angrily, he could feel the frustration rolling off of her. 

“Could you not be a stick in the mud for once? Since when do you have a problem with underage drinking?” 

“Since it could directly affect my mother’s job.” 

“I’ll pay you fifty bucks.” 

He paused at a red light and looked over at her. Despite already being on the island for a week and a half she still hadn’t tanned much. Clarke never seemed to tan. It was something he enjoyed teasing her about. He almost brought it up just to piss her off more. The look in her eyes was fierce, though. The princess wanted to rebel. He wasn’t sure why, but he could tell she was done being the well-behaved girl he had known for years. The light turned and he hit the gas. 

“Why do you want to do this so bad? Since when do you like to break rules?” 

“Since I realized my mom is a bitch and my dad has no backbone and my best friend cares more about some dumb boy than me. Besides, I don’t feel like being around anyone I like.” 

He whistled which earned him a punch in the shoulder. Bellamy laughed in response. This irritated the seventeen year old beside him even more. After a beat he snuck another glance at her. She looked furious and miserable all at once. Despite years of built up resentment, he pitied her. Whatever was spurring this impulsive phase of teenage rebellion had to have been really hitting her hard. “Sixty.” 

“What?” She turned to him, eyebrows knit together in question. 

“Give me sixty and I’ll take you. And you have to swear not to tell anyone. If it gets back to-”

“Deal, I’ll pinky swear!” 

He laughed at her eagerness and the childish promise but couldn’t help feeling a little excited at seeing what the wild side of Clarke Griffin looked like. 

***  
Present   
***

Clarke had only brought one backpack with her. When he commented on how lightly she travelled for royalty, she punched his shoulder. Normally when someone punched him, Bellamy got pissed. With Clarke, however, it was as much a sign of affection and nostalgia as it was annoyance. “Like I told you, this trip wasn’t planned.” 

He nodded and refrained from asking her to elaborate. If she wanted to, she would. The ride back to his house was short and before long he was leading her up the steps and through the front door. Already slightly embarrassed at the state of the house (he hadn’t been expecting guests), he tensed when Clarke laughed behind him. 

“Look I know it isn’t much and it probably isn’t what you are used to but there is no need to-”

“Oh God no,” Clarke’s eyes widened as she interrupted him. “I didn’t mean… I don’t care about the mess or the house or anything. It just looks exactly like it did before. I feel like I’m seventeen again.” 

Bellamy was still a little irritated but let it go. He knew she hadn’t meant to offend him but she had all the same. Here she was, a college graduate taking a year off before returning to medical school while he lived in the same house and had the same jobs he had six years ago. “You can keep your stuff in Octavia’s room. I’m sure she wont mind. Like I said she’ll be back at four. Since everything is the same I assume you don’t need a tour. I’ve got to go now or I’ll be late. Help yourself to the fridge.” 

“Bellamy, I really didn’t mean anything by saying it looks the same.” 

He nodded gruffly. “I’ll text O. You have my number if you need anything. See you later.” 

She offered a small smile and thanked him again. 

As he drove to the bookstore Bellamy began to second-guess his initial excitement at the prospect of Clarke staying. Yes, it was interesting to see how she had turned out. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about her over the years. At the same time, however, her presence only reminded him of how little he had accomplished. He should have just told her to get a hotel room, he thought to himself. She was loaded after all. Its not like she couldn’t afford it. Who takes a spontaneous trip to Maui, anyways? 

His thoughts must have been showing on his face because the first thing Monty asked when Bellamy walked into Mermaid Books was who had pissed him off. 

“What?” He asked in confusion as he rounded the cashier’s counter to join his coworker. 

“You look ready to kill someone. Who was it this time? I told Jasper to lay off you about the bonfire this weekend so if it was him I don’t want any blame.” 

Bellamy rolled his eyes. Jasper had been insisting on holding an end of the summer bonfire for weeks now. Bonfires were fun, but the clean up wasn’t and Bellamy didn’t want to deal with it. “No, it isn’t Jasper.” 

“Then who is lucky winner?”

“Why do you always assume I’m pissed off?”

“Because you always are,” the shorter, Asian man laughed. 

“All this after I go through the painstaking effort of getting Miller to ask you out.” 

“Fine, fine. I take it back. Thanks again, by the way.” 

Bellamy shrugged and starting restocking shelves as a family wandered in and began perusing the aisles. The books offered a distraction to the morning’s events. As he got back into his usual rhythm things felt normal again. By the time he and Monty started to close up the used bookstore, he had nearly forgotten about his surprise houseguest. It wasn’t until Monty asked him if he was joining the usual group for trivia that night that Bellamy remembered who was waiting for him at home. More importantly, he remembered that he had neglected to tell Octavia about the return of Clarke Griffin. 

“Shit,” he cursed to himself as he pulled out his phone. Thirteen texts from Octavia, six from Clarke, and two calls each. 

“I take that as a no?” Monty asked, locking the door. 

“No, man. I forgot about something this evening. Tell everyone I say hello though, don’t hesitate to text if you need my knowledge.” 

Monty looked at him quizzically. “You know that’s against the rules, right?”

Bellamy smirked, “Since when do we care about rules?” 

Monty rolled his eyes and said goodbye as he walked towards where Jasper was parked, waiting to pick him up. Bellamy waved at Jasper and hurriedly made his way to his truck before the younger man could once again ask about a bonfire. As soon as he slipped into the driver’s seat Bellamy called Octavia. She picked up on the first ring, which always meant he was in trouble. 

“You son of a bitch,” she interjected before Bellamy had a chance to speak. “Where the hell do you get off not telling me Clarke is in town? I don’t care if she told you not to tell anyone we both know that I don’t count in that. Also what the fuck? You set her up at the house and then don’t tell me to be prepared to have someone there when I come home? I nearly used the moves Lincoln has been teaching me on her before I realized who she was!”

“I mean to call you, O.” He turned on the ignition and pulled out. “Then things got busy at work and to be honest I forgot and-”

“How the hell do you forget something like this?” 

To be honest he had no idea how he had forgotten. “I’m sorry, O.” 

“Whatever, you dumbass. Just get back here. Clarke and I ordered Chinese food in celebration of our reunion. Also, how dare you offer her the pullout couch? We both know she is going to be sharing my bed with me.” 

“I didn’t want to speak for you. And why did it have to be Chinese? The Thai place is way better.” 

“Clarke is the guest and Clarke likes Chinese.” 

“Clarke hasn’t been here for six years, she doesn’t know what’s good anymore. I’m driving, O. We can talk when I get home.” He hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair with irritation. Or maybe it was nerves. Either way he wasn’t terribly excited about returning home and took the longer, scenic route. The road took him past the Griffin’s Roost and he deliberately looked the other way. 

It had been different six years ago. He was Octavia’s cool older brother who could get Clarke alcohol and enabled her to be as rebellious as possible. Now he was 28, had two jobs, neither of which were very impressive, and lived in the same house with his little sister. What if Clarke thought he was pathetic now? They were different people in different circumstances. At first that had excited him. He loved seeing another side of Clarke that last summer and the promise of learning about this new, older, sophisticated Clarke had been intriguing. Now he realized he no longer had the upper hand he once did. There was nothing for Clarke to gain from staying with him, other than free lodging which she didn’t even need. 

Bellamy sighed. It didn’t matter anyways. From what O said it seemed like she and Clarke were already attached at the hip again. It would be like it had been when they were kids. They would do their own thing while he occasionally supervised. Besides, she would leave soon enough. It wasn’t like someone as accomplished and promising as Clarke would spend her whole year off in his shitty house. No, he decided, this was just a spontaneous trip that would be over in a week. Before he knew it his life would be back to normal and Clarke would once more be a secret Polaroid picture he kept in his old, tattered copy of The Odyssey. 

***  
Six years ago  
***  
Bellamy watched with amusement as Clarke choked down her second shot of cheap vodka with a look of disgust on her face due to the unfamiliar bite of the alcohol. Despite his intentions to get wasted, he had decided not to drink. He still felt responsible for Clarke and wanted to be sober in case he was needed. She would need a drive home after all. 

He rolled his eyes as she grabbed his hand and dragged him into Murphy’s living room where people were dancing to music that was too loud and too bad for his taste. Laughing, he let her make him dance to the shitty music. 

“See!” She yelled, drunk off cheap alcohol and the thrill of teenage rebellion. “I can have fun!” 

He nodded with fake enthusiasm. “Of course you can.” She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. As she began to dance again Bellamy smirked down at her. He gave it a week, tops, before this phase ended and he went back to being the distant, grumpy, older Blake and she the perfect, flawless, princess of the Roost. 

Boy, was he wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was shorter, but I'm still getting back into the mindset of these characters so I apologize. 
> 
> I hope you liked it! As you can probably tell I'm telling both the story of the last summer Clarke was there and her current stay. I haven't written in that format before so bear with me. 
> 
> I love y'all and that thank you for your patience!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all liked it! As the story goes I plan on weaving more backstory into what is currently going on with the story. I'm getting ready to move back into school in the next week so either I will update soon because I want to procrastinate packing or I won't update for a while. I'm sorry in advance. 
> 
> Title from Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love" 
> 
> Love you guys as always :)


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